Electric-lighting system.



H. BALUSS.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEM.

ABPLIOATION FILED APR. a, 1911.

Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

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pniTED sTnTEs PATENT ernsten',

HAMILTON IBALUSS, OF KENNETT SQUARE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC-LIGHTING SYSTEM.

Application led April 3, 1911.

To all whom 25 may concern:

Be it known that I, HAMILTON BnLUss, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kennett Square, in the county of Chester and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain lmprovements in Electric-Lighting Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention comprises an elect-ric lighting system having means for regulating the supply of current so that the lamps shall receive a substantially constant voltage notwithstanding tiuctuations in the line supplying the current, and more generally it comprises improved means for supplying to any device substantially uniform current regardless of current fluctuations in the circuit.

My improvements comprise, urther, means for indicating current fluctuations whereby operators are guided in the use of current and machinery.

In the operation of trolley cars particularly there is a comparatively wide variation in the current supplied to the cars, primarily due to variations in the load, and leading purposes of my invention are to prevent the going out and fluctuation of the lights of such cars due to drops in current and also to indicate the drop in current so that the car can be slowed down to accommodate the condition o the power.

The characteristic features of my improvements are fully disclosed in the following description and the accompanying drawing in illustration thereof.

r1`he drawing is a diagrammatic representation of a trolley car lighting system embodying my invention.

The mechanism, as illustrated in the drawing, has a main circuit comprising the trolley wire or a conductor 1; the conductor 2 movable in contact therewith, as the pole of a car; the conductor 3 connecting the conductor 2 with the ground through the car wheel 1 and containing the resistances 5, 5a, 5b, and 5C and the parallel lamps 6.

A shunt circuit is provided by the conductor 7 connecting the conductor 2 with the conductor 3 at a point between the lamps and the ground, the shunt circuit containing the electro-magnets 8, 821,81?, 8, andSfl and the serially arranged lamps 9. The electro-magnets 8, 8a, 6b, 8C, and 81 are adapted for attracting the respective armatures 10, 10a, 10b, 10G, and 10d which rock on the respective fulcrums 11, 11, 11b, 11, and 11(1 between the respective contact members 12, 12a, 12", 12, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A110'. 12, 1913.

Serial No. 618,558.

12d and the corresponding stops 13, 13, 13b, 13C, and 13d which limit the retractions of' such armatures due to the action of the respective springs 14, 11, lll, 14C, and 11d. These armatures are adapted for making and breaking auxiliary circuits comprising the respective conductors 15, 15a, 15b, 15C, and 151 connecting the respective armatures with the corresponding contact members and containing the respective electro-magnets 16, 16a, 1Gb, 16C, and 16d. The conductors 15, 15a, 15b, 15C, and 15d have their members on opposite sides of the electro--magnets connected with the respective conductors 17 and 17 connected with and through the carbon resistance 18, the conductors 17a and 17al connected with and through the carbon resistance 18a, the conductors 17b and 17 b connected with and through the carbon resistance 18h, the conductors 17C and 17C connected with and through the carbon resistance 18C, and the conductors 17d and 17d connected with and through the carbon resistance 18d.

The electro-magnet 16 is adapted for moving the armature 19 against the reti-acting action of the spring 20, so that its carbon contact member 21 will engage a carbon contact member 22 which is connected by the conductor 23 with the conduct-or 3 between the resistances 5 and 5a, the armature 19 being connected by a conductor 24 with the conductor 7. The electro-magnet 16il is adapted for drawing the armature 19a, against the resistance of the spring 20, to cause its carbon contact member 21a to engage a carbon contact member 22L which is connected by the conductor 2321 with the conductor 3 between the resistances 5L and 5", a conductor 24a connecting the armature 19L with the conductor 23. rlhe electro-magnet 16b is designed for attract-ing the armature 19", against the action of its spring 20D, to bring the carbon contact member 21b into engagement with the carbon contact member i 22b which is connected by the conductor 23b with the conductor 3 between the resistances 5b and 5c, a conductor 24J connecting the armature 19b with the conductor 23a. The electro-magnet 16C is designed for attracting the armature 19C, against the action of its spring'y 20C, to cause its carbon contact member 21e to engage the carbon contact member 22C which is connected by the conductor 23C with the conductor 3 between the resistance 5C and the lamps 6, a conductor 241C connecting the armature 19 with the conductor 28. rl`he electro-magnet 16d attracts the armature 19, against the action of' the spring 20, to cause its carbon contact 211 to engage the carbon contact 22d which is connected by a conducto-r 23 with the conductor 3 between the conductor 28 and the lamps 6. The conductor 23 is connected by a conductor 25 with the armature 10, the contact member 12 is connected with the armature 10 by the conductor 25, the Contact member 12 is connected with the armature 101 by the conductor 25, the contact member 12b is connected with the armature 10 by the conductor 2e the contact member 12 is connected with the armature 10d by the conductor 25d which is connected by the conductor 28 with the armature 19, and the contact member 12d is connected with the conductor 3 between the lamps 6 and the conductor 7 by the conductor 26 containing the lamp 27.

The electro-magnets 8, 8, 8, 8, and 8d actuate their respective armatures 10, 10, 10b, 10, and 10d simultaneously at normal voltage and successively as the voltage rises from a minimum to the normal, which can be effected by graduating the strength of the springs 14, 14, 14, 14, and 14(1 so that a voltage of, say, 3001s required to operate the armature 10, 500 to operate the armature 10, 525 to operate the armature 10", 550 to operate the armature 10, and 575 to operate the armature 10.

When normal current, above the assumed 575 volts, is transmited from the conductor 1 through the conductor 7 the lamps 9 are lighted; the electromagnets 8, 8, 8, 8, and 8d operate the armatures 10, 10, 10b, 10 and 10d to short circuit the electro-magnets 16, 16, 16, 16, and 16d so that the current llows from the conductor 3 t-hrough the conductors 23, 25, 10, 25, 10, 25, 10, 25, 10, 25, 10, 26, 3 and 4 to the ground, lighting the lamp 27, and current at the same time flowing through the conductor 3 lights the lamps 6.

1When the current drops so that the amount flowing through the conductor 7 is between the assumed 575 and 550 volts and is insuiiicient to effect the operation of the armature 10, current Hows from the conductor 25 through the conductors 15, magnets 16, 25, 10, 25, 10', 25, 10, 25, 10, 26 and 3; the conductors 17v and 17 containing the non-inductive resistance 18 preventing sparking between the now separated but closely contiguous members 10 and 12. rlhe electro-magnet 16 now being excited, its armature 19 is actuated to engage the contact members 21 and 22 (made of carbon to prevent sparking) and current from the conductor 7 flows through the conductors 24, 19, 23 and 3, providing a short circuit cutting out the resistance 5, thereby providing the normal voltage required for lighting the lamps 6; the lamps 9 receiving a reduced current and indicating the drop.

`When the current drops, so that the voltage in the conductor 7 is between the assumed 550 and 525, the armatures 10 and 10 not being actuated, current flows through the conductors 15 and 15 (the noninductive resistances 18 and 18 preventing sparking between the open contact members o1I these conductors) g the electro-magnets 16 and 16 operate the armatures 19 and 19;

current flows through the conductors 24, 19,

24, 19, 26 and 8, cutting out the resistances 5 and 5, whereby normal lighting current is furnished to the lamps 6; the lamps 9 indicating th-e drop in current.

llfhen the current drops so that the voltage in the conduetor7 is between the assumed 525 and 500 and the armatures 10, 10 and 10 are not attracted, current flows from the conductor 25 through the conductors 15, 15 and 15; the electro-magnets 16, 16 and 16TJ attract the armatures 19, 19 and 19, and current flows from the conductor 7, through the conductors 24, 19, 24, 19, 24", 19", 26b and 3, cutting out the resistances 5, 5, and 5; the lamps 6 thus receiving the normal current and the lamps 9 indicating the drop.

When the current drops so that the voltage in the conductor 7 is between the assumed 500 and 300, which is insutlicient to effect the operation of the armatures 10, 10, 10b and 10, current flows from the conductor 25 through the conductors 15, 15, 15, and 15; the armatures 19, 19, 19, and 19 are attracted, and current flows from the conductor 7 through the conductors` 24, 19, 24, 19, 24, 19, 24, 19, and 23, cutting out the resistances 5, 5, 5b and 5 and thereby supplying the normal voltage required for lighting the lamps 6, the lamps 9 indicating the drop.

Il the current falls below the assumed service limit, 300 volts in the conductor 7, or if the circuit containing the lamps 9 should be broken, the current 'liowing from the conductor 25 through the conductors 15, 25, 15, 25, 15b, 25, 15, 25, 15, and 26 will operate the armatures 19, 19, 19, 19, and 19, and current will then iow from the conductor 7 through the conductors 24, 19, 24, 19, 24, 19, 24, 19, 23, 3, 23, 19, 28, 25, 15, 26 and 8, the lamp 27 being thus lighted, when the lamps 6 and 9 are dimmed to the degree indicating the current, it the circuit containing them is unbroken.

1f, in the operation, the circuit containing the lamp 27 should be broken, as by breaking this lamp, all of the resistance is thrown into the circuit containing the lamps 6 because the circuits containing the electromagnets 16, 16, 16, 16, and 161 are broken and none of the armatures 19, 19, 19, 19, and 19d can be attracted to close the circuits in which they are contained and by which the resistance is 'cut out.

Having described my invention I kclaim:

l. In an electric system, the combination with a supply circuit, of a work circuit, a plurality of resistors in series with the work lcircuit, and means for selectively cutting in :and out said resistors in groups of one or more in proportion to changes in the voltage of the supply circuit.

2. In an electric system, the combination with a supply circuit, of a work circuit, a plurality oi' resistors in series with the work circuit, and means for selectively cutting in 1 .and out said resistors in groups of one or more in proportion to changes in the voltage of the supply circuit, said means maint-aining all of the registers in circuit when the supply voltage falls below a predetermined minimum.

3. In an electric system, the combination with a supply circuit, of a work circuit, a plurality of resistors in series with the work circuit, and means for selectively cutting in and out said resistors in groups of one or more in proportion to changes in the voltage of the supply circuit, said means also successively controlling said resistors under successive changes in voltage of the supply circuit.

4L. In an electric system, the combination with a supply circuit, of a work circuit, a plurality of resistors in series with the work circuit, a shunt circuit for each resistor, a switch for each shunt circuit, and means for the successive and for the simultaneous selective actuation of said switches by changes in the voltage of the supp-ly circuit.

5. In an electric system, the combination with a supply circuit, of a work circuit, a

resistor in series with the work circuit, a shunt circuit for the resistor, an armature in the shunt circuit, an electro-magnet for the armature, a shunt circuit or the electromagnet, a controlling circuit, an electromagnet in the controlling circuit, and an armature for the last-mentioned magnet, said armature being in the shunt circuit of the first-mentioned electro-magnet.

6. In a system of the character described, the combination with a supply circuit of a circuit having therein a sectional resistance, a second circuit having therein several electro-magnets, a third circuit having therein several electro-magnets, means comprising armatures operated by said first named electro-magnets whereby said second named electro-magnets are short circuited, and means comprising armatures operated by said second named electro-magnets, whereby sections of said resistance are cut out proportionately to the drop in voltage of the supply circuit.

7 In a system of the character described, the combination of a circuit containing resistance, a second circuit containing an electro-magnet, a third circuit containing an electro-magnet, means operated by said first named electro-magnet for short circuiting said second named electro-magnet, and means operated by said second named electro-magnet whereby resistance aforesaid is cut out of said first circuit.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my name this 28 day of March, 1911, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

HAMILTON BALUSS.

Witnesses:

J os. Gr. DENNY, Jr., GILBERT S. BARLAGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, '.D. C. 

